Safety hat



June 16, 1931. w BULLARD 1,810,157

SAFETY HAT Filed Aug. 14, 1928 IN YEN TOE EDWARD M BULLAED WXW HIS I? TTOENEW wearer is subjected to conditions Patented June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD w. BULLLBD, OI SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO PACIFIC SAFETY EQURMENT COMPANY, 01 BAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A. CORPORATION OF CALI- FOBNIA- WHAT Application filed August 14, 1928. Serial 1T0. 299,542.

My invention relates to hats, and especiall to those worn by persons working in loca ities where there ,is dan er of being struck by falling objects an where the of moisture.

An object'of my invention is the rovis1on of a hat possessed of a sufiicient egree of rigidity to protect the wearer from in ury by falling objects and still light enoug to be worn without discomfort.

Another object of my invention is the provision of water-proofing means in a hat of the character described.

Another object of my invention is the provision of ventilating means in a hat of the character described.

My invention possesses other objects and valuable features, some 0 set forth in the following description'of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings forming part of the specification. It is v to be understood that I do not limit myself to the showing made by the said description and drawmgs, as I may adopt varying forms of my invention within the scope o the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the hat of my invention, taken in a longitudinal median plane.

-Figure 2 is a sectional view showing 1n detail the assembly of the water-proof covering and hat crown.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the hat. Portions of the structure are omitted to show the construction more clearly.

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustratingv the resilient ventilator spacer; and Figure ed inert sheet fiber and having parts stitched together, are generally coated with an asphaltic or other seal coating to make them water-proof. The coating adheres to the fibrous sheet with difficulty, and after a while the coating chips ofi leaving portions 7 f which will be of the crown unprotected. If these unprotected portions are subjected to moisture, the fiber becomes soft thereby weakening the hat. The stitched portions of the hat also of light, nonmetallic material strong enough to protect the wearer from injury by thrown or falling objects, such as rocks, bricks, tools, hot rivets andthe like Over the crown is placed a water-proof covering such as oil cloth or cloth treated with a nitrocellulose solution, and this covering is po-- sitioned to protect the entire crown and also the junction of the brim and crown. I prefer to use a crown section provided with notched edges to facilitate shaping of the crown and a ring for holding the notches partially closed to provide openin s in the crown. For ventilating the at, provide apertures in the covering in a position adjacent the crown openings and means for spacing the cover from the openings.

In greater detail, the hat crown of my invention is constructed from relatively thin sheet material which is light enough not to make the hat cumbersome and uncomfortable, and still has suflicient rigidity to protect the wearerfrom injury from falling objects. For this purpose I prefer to use hard compacted sheet fiber, substantially of an inch in thickness, because it is tough, chemically inert, and a non-conductor of both heat and electricity.

As illustrated in Figure 6, the shape of the crown section before it is steamed and ressed into shape is substantially an ovoid la'nk 3 punched or otherwise cut from a sheet of the hard fiber. The blank is provided with notches 4 and 6 at the intersection of the periphery with the major axis 7 and minor axis 8 respectively, to facilitate forming the blank to the desired shape.

After being steamed for about a quarter closed. A retaining ring 9 of an hour, the fiber becomes sufiiciently pliable to be readil pressed into the form of afcrown, with t e notches substantially preferably of hard com acted fibrous material and larger than the ead size of the wearer, i's thensecured to the edge of the crown to hold the notches substantially closed. -While these parts may be secured together in any desired way, it is preferred to sew them together with a row of stitches 10. The crown thus formed is possessed of the inherent advantages of dome construction, with the result that although it weighs but a few ounces, it is strong enough to support fully 250 pounds without bein deformed. It is to be noted that althoug the ring holds the notches substantially closed, they are not entirely closed; hence openings or apertures are provided in the crown.

A water-proof covering 11 of a single sheet of material is cut and formed to the shape of the crown. Preferably the material is canvas or drill cloth which has been treated with oil, paint or a nitro-cellulose solution to make it water-proof. This cloth is of substantially the same character as that used for slickers. Before the covering 11 is placed over the crown, a ring 12 preferably of soft material such as fabricoid, cloth or other soft fibrous material and of a size adapted to fit over the ring 9, is secured to the covering a short distance from its peripher by means of stitches 13, and the lower e ge of the cover is turned back over the stitches as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2. When the cover is placed over the crown it fits snugly thereon and the rings 12 and 9 are congruently ositioned.

After t e cover is fitted on the crown, a supporting lining 14, preferably of cloth and having a lower edge 16 of leather to provide a sweat band, is secured to the outer surface of the crown by means of stitches 17 passing thru rings 9 and 12. The upper ed e of the lining is hemmed, and a draw string 18 in the hem provides means for adjusting the lining, so as to determine the position of the hat on the head of the wearer. A brim or visor 19 preferably of the same material as the crown, is next secured to the crown by means of stitches 21 passing thru rings 9 and 12. The upturned edge of the water-proof covering is then turned down to lap over the upper edge of the brim and thus cover all the stitches.

From the preceding description it is seen, that although the covering is not secured directly to the crown sheet 3, it is permanently fixed to the hat. Also it is to be noted that the cover protects the stitches and laps over the brim to provide a shingle efi'ect; thereby completely. water-proofing the hat. Preferably the brim is covered on both surfaces with a water-proof coating such as a paint with an asphalt base.

As previously set forth, the artially closed notches in the crown provi e openings and advantage is taken of this to ventilate the hat without destroying its water-proof characteristic. Slots or apertures 22 are formed in the covering 11 preferably adjacent two or more of the openin s or notches, and the slots are sewed at t e corners to prevent tearin of the cover. Triangularly sha ed resllient ventilator spacers 23 prefera ly of inert fibrous material are arcuately formed by steaming, so that they can be sprung inwardly to pass thru the slots, and when released the covering is held away from the openings to provide a space between the openings and cover. Each of the spacers 23 is provided with notches 24 adapted toengage the corners of the slots 22, so as to hold the spacers in position. When the spacers are inserted thru the slots and between the cover and crown, their lower edges overlap the portion of the cover below each slot; thereby preventing penetration of water thru the slots, and at the same time air can circulate thru the slots and openings. To insure the spacing of the cover from the crown openings so that air can properly pass therethru,

the spacer 23 may be provided with a band of flexible material 26, such as metal, secured at the edges of the spacer to prevent flattening thereof when placed in any of the apertures 22.

While I have described my invention as embodied in the form of a hat, I am aware that it may also be applied to a cap, helmet, or any other form 'of headgear.

I claim:

1. A safety headgear com rising a crown formed from a single shee of hard compacted fibrous material having a plurality of notches. in'the periphery thereof to facilitate shaping the crown, a retaining ring secured adjacent the edge of the crown to hold the notches substantially closed, a water-proof cover over the crown, and means'securing the cover to the ring.

2. A safety headgear comprising a crown formed from a single sheet of hard compacted fibrous material having a plurality of notches in the periphery'thereof to facilitate shaping the crown, a retaining ring secured adjacent the edge of the crown to hold the notches substantially closed, a brim secured to the ring, a water-proof cover over the crown and overlapping the brim, and means securing the cover to the ring.

3. A safety headgear comprising a crown formed from ,a single sheet of hard compacted fibrous material having a plurality of notches in the periphery thereof to facilitate shaping the crown, a retaining ring secured adjacent the edge of the crown to hold the notches substantially closed, a waterproof cover over the crown, a ring secured to the cover and adjacent the retaining ring, and a brim secured to the rings, the lower edge of the cover overlapping the brim.

ing, and means for spacing the cover from the crown opening.

In testimony w ereof, I have hereunto set m hand.

y EDWARD W. BULLABD.

4. A safety headgear comprising acrown of hard compacted fibrous material, a ring secured adjacent the edge of the crown, a water-proof cover over the crown, a ring secured to the cover and adjacent the first ring, and a brim secured to the rings, the lower edge of the coveroverlapping the brim.

5. In a headgear, a crown having an opening, a cover on the crown and over the opening, said cover having an aperature adjacent the opening, and means engaging the cover and projecting through the aperture for spacing the cover from the crownopening.

6. In a headgear, a crown having an opening, a cover on the crown and over the opening, said cover having an aperture adjacent the opening, and a spacer in the aperture and interposed between the crown and cover. 7. A safety headgear comprising a crown of hard compacted fibrous material having an opening, a water-proof cover on the crown and over the opening said cover havmg an aperture ad acent the opening, and

a spacer in the aperture and interposed between the crown and cover.

- 8. A safety headgear comprising a crown cover on the crown and over the notches, said cover having an aperture adjacent a notch, and means adjacent the aperture for spacing the cover from the notch.

9. A safety headgear comprisinga crown formed from a single sheet of hard compacted .fibrous material having a plurality of notches in the periphery thereof to facilitate shaping the crown, means for holding the notches substantially closed, a waterproof cover on the crown and. over the notches, said cover having an aperture adjacent a notch, and a spacer in the aperture and interposed between the crown and cover.

10. A safety headgeanoomprising a crown of hard compacted fibrous material, a. retaining ring stitched to the crown adjacent thelower edge thereof, a waterproof cover over the crown, a ring stitched to the cover adjacent the retaining ring, and a brim stitched to the rings, the lower edge of the cover overlapping the brim and the stitching se curing the rings'and brim to the crown.

11. In,a headgear, a crown of sheet material and having an opening, a cover completely over the crown and opening, said cover having an aperture adjacent the open- 

